Synergy
Efficiency
I was able to properly run the HD 550 with a Shanling UA1 Plus, and you can use that as a reference. The UA1 Plus can produce up to 80mW per side, and since it’s a device with a single-ended output port, and compatible with the stock cable.
Sennheiser does offer balanced connectivity as an extra purchase and a few other goodies, but the cables are of stock quality. You can get an aftermarket cable from HART Audio, and I’m sure others can supply a cable that is more in line with our preferences.
You can run the HD 550 off a motherboard audio output as well, making them a good choice if you want an all-around good desktop performer that doesn’t require high power output amplification.
On high power, the HD 550 shines, and they are sensitive to amplification selection. You can tell what you’re listening to and distinguish what type of gear you’re listening to.
Pairings
The Sennheiser HD 550 is a versatile set that stands out as a well-balanced set, and it pairs well with clean sources that favor neutral tuning.
I wouldn’t consider the HD 550 an end-game headphone, but rather an audio producer and a gateway headphone that is at home with an audiophile who wants good sound but can also fit the part at a mastering session or as a workable monitor.
If I were to pair it with something, I’d use something that has color, like the xDuoo XD05T that uses a tube preamp section, or the Rose Technics RT-5000 that has an assortment of filters to color the sound in subtle ways.
Unless you want a sterile environment and something analytical, which I then recommend gear that has a clean profile tuning, like the midline Topping L70 and E70 combo. FiiO’s BTR17 gave similar results with its clean ES9069Q DAC and THX power section.
Selected Comparisons
Sennheiser HD 505
Technical
The HD 505 was released days before the HD 550, and it was nicknamed Copper because of its color scheme that features Copper trim.
The HD 505 uses the same chassis, and it uses the same pads as the HD 550, plus they share the same cable, and their only external difference is their color scheme.
What makes them different besides the color scheme is the driver and their tuning. If you look at each driver behind the ear pad, the HD 550’s driver is more exposed, whereas on the HD 505’s driver, only the center dome is exposed.
Design
There’s not much else to say here that hasn’t already been said. These two models seem to come from the same mold. Both models carry the same weight, which is 237 grams on each set.
At least with the HD 550, you get a much nicer box, because Sennheiser went bare bones on the HD 505’s packaging and didn’t give much attention to the customer’s unboxing experience.
Both models also include the same cable assembly, plus the same spandex-type drawstring bag that is useful for storing each set.
Performance
The first observation I made in an A/B comparison between these two is that the HD 505 is wider-sounding but not by a large margin; however, the HD 550 produces more height alongside enough width to allow one to call either headphone wide-sounding.
I also noticed an improved midrange that is closer to naturally sounding on the HD 550. I also noticed more presence in the highs, making the HD 550 the darker-sounding model, although the HD 550 has a reduced capacity of producing the very top end of the spectrum.
Which is the more efficient model? The HD 550 is by a small margin, and both work well with low-powered gear. Even though these headphones have a medium to high impedance rating.
Detail and resolve? The HD 550 wins this one. It also produces cleaner high frequencies, which are better defined.
The drivers look the same, but the exposed driver of the HD 550 and different diaphragm composition, which reacts differently in the treble region, is where these sonic improvements come from.
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus
Technical
The HD 490 PRO Plus is a model that’s tuned to best serve professionals at recording studios and is tuned to be accurate and not so much a music listening-oriented headphone. Or is it?
It’s a fun headphone to listen to, in my opinion, although they’re labeled as a tool for professionals. I do dare say that the HD 550 is good for that purpose as well, but no one has spoken about it yet.
The HD 490 PRO Plus, however, is the more feature-packed model that comes with two pad sets and two sets of cables.
Sennheiser did miss the opportunity to include balanced connectivity with the HD 490 PRO Plus, which would have been a nice-to-have and should have been included on both sets.
Design
One of the design aspects that I like about the HD 490 PRO Plus is the difference in design from all the others, which means that Sennheiser went to the drawing table to offer their customers something new with the HD 490 PRO Plus.
Meanwhile, the HD 550 uses the same recycled design used back when the series was first rolled out.
The HD 490 PRO Plus yokes and the headband assembly are more in line with the ACCENTUM and the MOMENTUM lines, but Sennheiser streamlined the adjuster to make them look more like a continuous piece instead of going with a visible swivel.
I also like the fact that Sennheiser includes two sets of pads that change the overall tonality. They’re different pad designs, and the mounting system is different on the HD 490 PRO Plus.
The HD 490 PRO Plus pads are much softer, and I prefer them because of that and the added comfort they offer.
Performance
Vocals are more true-to-life on the HD 490 PRO Plus, and they have a more intense presence. Vocals sound closer to the listener, and that enhances one’s overall ability to pick out details within mixes.
I thought that I was going to obtain a different result when it came to the bass response, which seems more complete and ample at the very bottom octave, because the HD490 Pro has the most prominent bass of the two, and that was a surprise to me.
The problem will be found when you attempt to get more bass out of the HD 490 PRO Plus, which likes to be played flat, and if boosted, could suffer breakup.
But that’s one of the reasons they’re good monitors. They will raise issues in the mix if something is not right, whereas the HD 550 is a fun headphone, and you can apply to them a considerable boost, and they’ll just fatten up.
The soundstage is also more precise on the HD 490 PRO Plus, and I’m not saying that the HD 550 has a constant propensity to conglomerate some elements within recordings, but it happens. Accuracy or fun factor is what’s on the table.
My Verdict
Where does the Sennheiser HD 550 fall within today’s market? It’s a versatile, likable headphone that performs well within most scenarios. It’s an acrobat that manages a balancing act to conform to whatever situation you use it in. But it’s a gateway headphone nonetheless.
The HD 550 is a Sennheiser launch that takes some of the flaws of the HD 500 series and improves on them, sonically speaking. The pricetag of $349.95 makes it the most costly model up to date in the series, and that might melt away the desire to upgrade from the HD 505, for example.
Having heard almost every HD 500 series headphone, I can say that the HD 550 is the best sounding one of the series. The bass and treble were improved, with a small level of refinement in the sonic signature that merits that claim.
Sennheiser HD 550 Technical Specifications
- Article number (SKU): 700455
- Weight w/o cable: 237g
- Cable: 1.80m cable with 3.5mm jack. Detachable left side
- Ear coupling: Around the ear (circumaural)
- Ear material: Synthetic Velour
- Frequency response: 6Hz to 39.5kHz
- Nominal impedance: 150Ω
- Sound pressure level: 106.7 dB / 1 Vrms
- Transducer principle: Dynamic, open
